Concussive Conclusions
by tt22123
Summary: John gets a bad concussion apprehending a suspect and it leads to Sherlock conducting an experiment to try and determine what it was he was thinking about when it happened. I do not own the characters, nor the TV series, however have the permission from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to do anything to Sherlock, as do we all.


John led out across the couch while Sherlock crouched at the end of it, watching the man who had his eyes shut against the headache from the concussion he got fighting their last suspect. The detective was trying to deduce what it was that he felt when he saw John get hit and go down but was stuck as his mind kept looping back to the same conclusion.

"John?" Sherlock whispered into the silence of the room.

"What?"

"I need your help with an experiment."

"No, go away Sherlock."

"Please John, just this one experiment and then you don't have to see me ever again if you don't want to."

"You aren't going to let this one go are you?"

"No, you don't even have to do anything just continue to lay there with your eyes closed."

"Oh whatever, if it will make you shut up then go ahead." Sherlock continued to look at John from where he was crouched for a couple more minutes before he decided to follow through with his experiment. Suddenly he leant over and pressed his lips to John's causing a surprised gasp from the man which allowed Sherlock to push his tongue in and begin swirling it with John's who was returning the kiss.

"Thank you, that proved conclusive." Sherlock whispered as he returned to his previous position with a gentle smile. John felt dismayed that the kiss was just for an experiment but refused to let the other man see that fact.

"Good, and what exactly was the findings?"

"It proved that it is definitely love that I feel and that is why I was so scared tonight when you got hurt."

"You what?"

"Honestly John, must you always make me repeat myself about everything?"

"In this case yes because I'm fairly sure I must have heard you wrong." John sat up and looked at Sherlock with a quiet groan as he held a hand to his head. Instantly Sherlock dropped from his crouch so that he was sitting properly on the couch and pulled John back down so that his head was on Sherlock's thighs looking up at the curly haired man. Cautiously he began running his hands through John's short hair and massaging his scalp lightly so to not cause any more pain.

"I said that I love you John Watson, and that is why I was scared earlier when you were apprehending the suspect." A smile formed on John's lips as his eyes fluttered closed and he released a soft gasp through his slightly parted lips.

"That- that's good."

"That's good? Is that all you have to say, I just revealed that I'm not a sociopath."

"I always knew that you weren't a sociopath. Just as I always knew that I loved you, I didn't need an experiment to tell me that. Although I did rather enjoy this particular experiment, it was one of your better ones."

"You love me too?"

"Yes, have since the day we met."

"No but John, me?"

"Yes, I don't shoot a man for anyone that I've just met."

"No but- ME?"

"Yes, you! The crazy, brilliant man who knew my entire life before he had even spoken to me to find it out. The man who asked me to move in with him in our very first conversation. The man who will figure out the killer so that we can stop them. The man who infuriates me when he doesn't buy more milk or leaves body parts in the fridge. The man who is the most gorgeous man I've ever met, if slightly too skinny because he doesn't eat unless I force him to. The man who is currently sat playing with my hair because I was in pain. The man who shot our wall because he was bored. The man that is you. The man that I love is Sherlock Holmes." At some point during his speech John forced his eyes open and caught the gaze of Sherlock, not letting the other man go from the invisible hold that he had on him as he spoke. He was glad that he hadn't because when he finished talking the smile that Sherlock sent him was the biggest and most sincere grin he had ever seen on the man and that was something that he didn't want to miss ever again, in fact he wanted to always be the cause of it.

"You mean it. I love you John Watson." Sherlock began peppering kisses all over John's face with the occasional declaration of love thrown into the mix as well until John lifted a hand to Sherlock's shoulder and pushed him away, the smile leaving the detectives lips as he did so. He tightly shut his eyes as he sat up to prevent the nausea from kicking in. John moved as quick as he could without looking so that he was straddling Sherlock's lap but holding all of his weight of the man beneath him. As he opened his eyes he caught Sherlock watching him curiously and with slight trepidation so he placed a hand on the man's cheek and began running his thumb along the sharp cheekbone. Slowly, so the other man knew what he was doing, John leant forward and pressed his lips to Sherlock's tenderly, both moving against the other in a sensual dance. As soon as they pulled away for air John dropped his head onto the other's shoulder.

"Are you alright John, you don't look well?"

"Mmm, dizzy," John mumbled as though struggling with the words.

"Well you were told to go home and lay down so stop sitting up and you might feel better."

"Wanna be with you though."

"Then let's go to bed and we'll both lay down, okay?" John nodded against his shoulder before yelping as he was suddenly lifted in the arms of the detective.

"I can walk you know."

"No, you got dizzy sitting up, you aren't walking around the flat. Besides, I like having you in my arms."

"m'kay." Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow in Sherlock's room John was drifting off to sleep but Sherlock still honoured his word and crawled into bed next to the injured man, snuggling closer so that John was curled up to his chest while his arms wrapped around the older man. For once he just lay there, not reading or researching or in his mind palace, content enough to watch over John as he slept.

When John stirred the following morning it was with a pained groan as he buried his head further into Sherlock where he stayed for a couple of minutes before pulling back to look blearily into the eyes of his pillow.

"Mornin' Lock," John whispered with a sleep-roughened voice.

"Morning John, how is your head?" Sherlock asked before apologising when John groaned at the volume.

"Painful, like someone's repeatedly hitting my brain."

"Maybe you SHOULD go to the hospital."

"Lock, I'm a doctor, I know what to do for concussion."

"You're clearly losing the plot, calling me 'Lock', that is not my name."

"You're starting to sound like Mycroft, not letting people shorten your name."

"Take it back," Sherlock said jokingly as he ran a hand gently through John's hair and smiled at him affectionately. "Are you sure you're okay John?" John wanted to snap at Sherlock until he realised that the man's eyes were swirling depths of worry, concern and fear.

"I swear to you that I am fine, or I will be once this headache is gone in a few days. If it makes you feel better we can stay here in bed."

"You could."

"Nah, I'd get bored without you here with me."

"I'm fairly sure the idea is that you rest?" John cocked his eyebrow in questioning at the man. "You shouldn't be stressing your body in anyway." After a couple of seconds it dawned on John just what Sherlock was insinuating.

"Ohh, Lock, you realise I mean just you staying with me right? Resting. Yes in bed but the two of us just resting, talking, sleeping. I mean I wouldn't say no to kissing you more but nothing more at this point, I was ready to pass out just sitting up to kiss to you yesterday. I just want you to stay with me if you're making me stay here."

"Oh. I see. That makes more sense. Sorry. I can't claim to understand how this works."

"What?"

"A relationship. It's not an area of human interaction that I've ever understood. I mean Mycroft assumes me scared of sex but it is actually a useful tool for when you want something, I'm scared of relationships."

"You have to explain what you mean by that at some point. As for the idea of relationships, what's so scary?"

"I'm not normal, am I? I'm a- a- a freak. I'm scared of opening my heart to anyone I care about because in the end everyone leaves me. I don't know what I'd do if that happened. I don't understand what I'm meant to do in a relationship, it's not something I've ever had experience with, I don't like not knowing John."

"You're thinking that I'm going to leave you?" Sherlock looked away from John as he nodded almost imperceptibly. "Oh you stupid man. You're an idiot, not a freak. You may not be normal because you are better, you are a miracle, my miracle. You are expecting me to leave you yet haven't I proved that I won't do that? I killed a man for you, and I came back. I nearly died because I was mistaken for you and yet still I came back. I was strapped into a bomb and had you aiming a gun at me, I still came back to you. I've been drugged by you which made me fear for my life and I'm here. I watched the man I love jump off a building and 'die' in front of me and I kept waiting for a miracle. I had my miracle come true and you returned to me and still I was there for you."

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"Doubting you."

"It doesn't matter, it's in the past. Just don't keep waiting for me to leave you because you'll be there for a very long time if you do." Sherlock looked at John with his brows furrowed.

"It matters to me."

"Okay then. In that case you're forgiven for doubting me." Sherlock led there watching the other man with a completely blank face. "You said you don't understand relationships and you don't like not knowing things, ask someone then. Me, Mycroft, Lestrade, the Internet, just ask or you won't find out. You don't know what you are meant to do in a relationship?

"The answer is that you don't HAVE to do anything. The point of a relationship is that it is based on what you WANT to do. You want to have sex or not? You want to kiss or not? You want to go out on dates or you want to keep it between us? You do or don't want to hold hands or cuddle or do anything like that? You tell me, THAT is what you are meant to do in a relationship Lock."

"I want to kiss you."

"That's perfectly fine, anything else?"

"I mean now."

"Go on then." Sherlock lent forward and pressed his lips to John's, moving them against each other gently and when they pulled back he kept his eyes closed and a small smile on his lips. "Beautiful," John whispered not meaning to say it out loud. Regretting it slightly when the eyes opened and the smile was lost behind the blank mask but he refused to take it back.

"I want you not to lie to me."

"Good thing I haven't done that then, isn't it?"

"John-" Sherlock warned as he started to pull back from the other man only stopping when John placed a hand on his arm.

"I meant it. You're gorgeous all the time, whether you believe me or not it is true. But then, led there with your eyes closed and a genuine smile, you looked calm, at peace. You were beautiful and the only person who apparently wouldn't see that fact is you." John placed butterfly kisses to Sherlock's temple, cheeks, nose and brow before leaning his forehead against the other man so their lips were in line but not actually touching.

"I want more of that when we're led in bed together," Sherlock whispered into the otherwise silent room, each breath mingling with the doctor's.

"We can do that. Anything else?"

"Can I think on it?"

"Of course you can Lock. I'm not going to force you to tell me what you want this to be right this second. You can tell me as and when you think of things, and you can change your mind on things you've previously said yes or no to as well. The most important thing here is that you're happy with your choices."

"You're truly remarkable John."

"How am I?"

"You just are John."

"Okay. Just being remarkable. Thank you." Arms were wrapped around Sherlock as John moved so that his face was hidden in Sherlock's shirt.

"You okay?"

"Mmm, headache."

"Well, let's stop talking then and you can rest. I'll get you some painkillers if you want."

"No, stay. I'll be fine, it'll pass."


End file.
